International journal of paleopathology最新文献

Objective: This study examines how age at death, sex, and socio-historical context relate to the frequency, location, and severity of Schmorl's nodes.

Materials: The sample comprised thoracic and lumbar vertebrae of 192 skeletons from two contemporary documented osteological collections from Spain, in Valladolid and Granada, both of which contain individuals who died during the second half of the 20th century.

Methods: Schmorl's nodes were recorded on the superior and inferior surfaces of vertebral bodies and their location was categorized in one of three areas: center, canal, and periphery.

Results: The prevalence of Schmorl's nodes was 57.42 % for the Valladolid collection and 67.39 % for Granada, with no significant differences between collections. Statistically significant differences were found between the sexes, but age at death did not correlate with the presence of the lesion.

Conclusions: This analysis supports the absence of a direct relationship between the pathology and the aging process, but shows a greater predisposition in male individuals, suggesting that vertebral morphology and/or physical activity might be key etiological factors.

Significance: This research enhances our understanding of the etiology of Schmorl's nodes by highlighting sex as a key variable and suggesting a lack of association with age.

Limitations: The absence of data on occupational activity prevents correlating this variable with the presence of Schmorl's nodes.

Suggestions for further research: Conduct studies on geometric morphometric data to corroborate the evolutionary hypothesis proposed by other authors.

Objective: The goal of this study was to analyze and differentially diagnose the presence of two large holes noted in the parietal bones of an individual and the presence of traumatic lesions.

Materials: A partially mummified young adult female associated with the Chinchorro culture, 4000 BP, from the coast of the Atacama Desert (northern Chile).

Methods: The bone lesions were evaluated macroscopically and radiologically. In addition, Sr isotopic analyses were performed on 62 individuals from eight sites associated with the Chinchorro culture.

Results: The parietal orifices are compatible with a rare anomaly of genetic origin known as foramina parietalia permagna (FPP). In addition, the cranial fracture pattern appear compatible with perimortem trauma, and Sr isotopes indicate a marine signal for Chinchorro populations.

Conclusions: This case serves as evidence that FPP was present in the early Andean populations and that endogamy and mutagenic factors might have contributed to its presence.

Significance: This paper expands our knowledge of the genetic anomalies that affected past populations and may contribute to our understanding of the etiologies of the condition.

Limitations: The absence of comparative FPP data inhibits comparative studies (with the exception of cases from California, USA).

Suggestions for future research: To explore in depth the genetic component of this condition in the Chinchorro populations.

Objective: Our objectives are twofold: to analyse the frequency of leprosy-related pathological lesions in the cemetery of Sant Llàtzer Hospital (12th-18th c.); and to examine how individuals affected by the disease were perceived and integrated into society during that period in Barcelona.

Materials: The skeletal remains of 87 individuals recovered from the cemetery.

Methods: All remains were analysed macroscopically and, when required, radiographed.

Results: Of the total number of individuals (n=87), 21 (24.1 %) showed evidence indicative of leprosy. Notably, the frequency of leprosy cases was lower in the 13th-15th c. (10 %; n = 50), the only period for which multi-person graves were documented.

Conclusions: The frequency of leprosy-related lesions in Sant Llàtzer is similar to that observed in other European Christian leprosaria, although it varies across the centuries. There is no funerary evidence that leprosy sufferers were treated differently than other citizens.

Significance: The cemetery of Sant Llàtzer, the first in Spain directly linked to a leprosarium, uniquely spans a significant period of activity. Its exceptionally preserved remains and rich records have offered unparalleled insight into the disease and its profound social implications.

Limitations: Leprosy affects the bone in only a small percentage of untreated cases. Moreover, poor preservation of skeletal remains may prevent diagnosis.

Suggestions for further research: Biochemistry, genomics, and proteomics might provide new insights into the disease, the origin and migrations of the individuals buried in Sant Llàtzer, as well as other aspects of their daily lives.